


planting the pomegranate seeds

by Mattecat



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-04-08 16:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14109279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: Ronin attempts to follow his brother into the Cursed Realm, but the portal is intercepted, landing him in an alternate universe with someone who looks like his brother, sounds like his brother, shares the same name – but he can't be. Sensei Wu told him Morro was dead, and this Morro is very much alive.A crossover betweenThere's A Traitor In the Midstandforgetting the coin for the ferryman.





	1. persephone's hunger

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Brotherhood.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13596627) by [Noblegas Xenon (NoblegasXenon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoblegasXenon/pseuds/Noblegas%20Xenon). 



> hey what's up this is a crossover between my bro's [illusionist ronin au](https://archiveofourown.org/series/939552) and my own [morro borg au](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13282038/chapters/30393441). i know I've got other stuff to work on and I swear I will work on that other stuff but I write primarily for myself and sometimes I gotta do self indulgent stuff with my friends.
> 
> if you are unfamiliar with those two aus, here's my poor summaries of both!
> 
>  **There's A Traitor In the Midst:** ronin is the elemental master of illusions, an element that isn't supposed to exist. this gives him all sorts of cool powers like "reshaping the world around him," "being able to sense emotions and/or emotional shields," and "his dreams affect reality except they're still dreams so he can't control what happens." sensei wu takes him in and is outright abusive towards him, then morro comes along and he and ronin become brothers, replacing ronin's horrible stepbrother Youxia, and then certain canon events (morro dying) happen. it's a good au there's like 19 oneshots in the series already go read them
> 
>  **forgetting the coin for the ferryman:** lloyd resurrects morro and almost immediately regrets it. morro is sent to live with cyrus borg because there's no way he can stay with the ninja when he hates them and they hate him. a lot of stuff happens, including cyrus becoming a wizard in an attempt to lift the curse on morro's soul. cyrus ends up adopting morro as his son. that's really all you need to know.
> 
> so! this takes place after the events of forgetting the coin for the ferryman (a few months after the final chapter), and in the middle of There's A Traitor In the Midst (two years after morro leaves). it's not strictly a sequel to forgetting the coin bc it's not technically "canon" in my au. it's very self-indulgent. uhhh yeah, that's it.
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: suicide ideation, probably. that's it

His head feels like it's splitting open. The ground feels hard and smooth against his face. He blinks a few times, his eyes adjusting to the harsh white light. Is this the Cursed Realm? It feels different. Not that he really knows what the Cursed Realm feels like.

"Well we can't send him back –"

He doesn't recognize that voice. He manages to lift his head off the ground just enough to look at the two figures standing above him – well, no, one of them is sitting. The other –

Ronin stiffens.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Morro says, a hard edge to his voice. He's in different clothes, and he's unmistakably alive, unlike what Wu told him – but he's _Morro,_ and he's there, he's real, and he's… not even looking at him…

"Morro?" he croaks.

Morro flinches and glances at him briefly, his eyes wide. "He knows my name!" he hisses to the sitting man. "We need to send him back! If he knows me –"

"Morro," Ronin repeats, and he struggles to lift himself off the ground. "You… you remember me, right? It's – it's me!"

"No," Morro snaps. "I don't know who you are, but it doesn't matter –"

"Your brother," Ronin says. Please, please, he got this far, Morro _has_ to remember him – what happened in the Cursed Realm? How did he forget? Please, please, please remember him. "It's me! Ronin!"

Morro blinks. "You're not Ronin," he says. "Borg, we need to –"

The other man holds a hand up to stop him. He's in a wheelchair, Ronin realizes, now that his headache has receded, somewhat. "What happened?" he asks. "You just… fell out of the portal. Are you hurt?"

" _Borg_ –"

"I was trying –" No, no, no, this is all going wrong. Ronin can feel tears threatening, blurring his vision, and he takes a shaky breath. "I wanted to find you, Morro! Wu told me – he said you were gone, he said you were cursed – I was going to – I was trying to find you, I – I –"

He reaches for Morro, his brother – Morro takes a step back. Ronin can't take it – he falls back on the floor and curls up, his body heaving with sobs.

* * *

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing Ronin knows, he's lying in a bed.

He sits up, his strength having returned to him. The room is bigger than he's used to. Even with the bed taking up half the space, there's a desk and a set of shelves against the wall, and Ronin realizes he must not be in the Cursed Realm, because there's no way the Cursed Realm would have beds and rooms this nice.

Which means he failed.

He was so close – the portal had been right there! All he needed to do was jump in – and he did! What went wrong? Why was he here, with a Morro that didn't know who he was? Tears are falling down his cheeks, and he covers his face and sobs. He really is worthless. He couldn't even be with his brother, let alone save him.

There's a knock on the door. Ronin wipes his eyes and sets his face in a hard expression.

"Hello? Can I come in?"

It's the man in the wheelchair – Ronin recognizes his voice. The Morro that didn't remember him – he had called him Borg, right? Ronin doesn't respond, knowing he'll just come in anyway.

Surprisingly, he doesn't. "Are you awake? I can come back later."

"I'm awake," Ronin says.

"Oh! Can I come in?"

Ronin says nothing.

"…alright. I'll come back later." Ronin hears a soft _clink._ "There's food out here, if you're hungry. I'll be back in an hour or so, does that sound alright?"

What can he say? Ronin is getting an odd feeling from Borg, like – he's too _genuine._ Ronin can't sense any emotional shields. How? Ronin doesn't understand how someone could live like that for very long.

He can hear the sound of his wheelchair rolling away. Ronin sits there staring at the door for a while longer, then cautiously gets out of bed and moves to the door. He crouches down, listening carefully for any signs of anyone else, then cracks the door open and grabs the plate.

While he sits on the floor and eats, he hears footsteps outside the door. He freezes. Whoever is there is keeping their shields up, and he can't tell what they're feeling when they knock.

"Ronin."

It's Morro.

But not _his_ Morro – that much is clear. Ronin doesn't move.

"Is your name really Ronin?" Not-His-Morro says. "Because I know a Ronin, and he's… well, he's older than you, for one."

"You're not Morro," Ronin says.

"Not the one you know, obviously. Just like you're not the Ronin I know."

A spark of hope alights, as foolish as it is. Maybe – maybe this Morro is still his brother, just to a different version of him, maybe – "Can you tell me about the Ronin you know?" he asks.

"Depends. Can you tell me about the Morro you know?"

Ronin hesitates. "Yeah," he says.

"Alright. I'm coming in."

Morro opens the door. Ronin stays on the floor, the plate of food half-eaten in front of him. Morro – _not his Morro_ – gives him an odd look, then sits down on the bed.

"So," he says. "You said we were brothers. I'm assuming you didn't mean by blood."

Ronin shakes his head. "Sensei found you, and –"

"Wait. Sensei _Wu?_ You were living with him?"

"I'm his –" Ronin quickly corrects himself. "I _was_ his student," he says, and saying it out loud – he's not turning back, not now, not ever. He's gone too far to ever go back, now.

Morro cracks a smile. "Same here. So Wu took you in like he did me?"

"He took me first. Then he found you." Ronin grips the fabric of his pants. He can feel something coming from Morro, some emotion adjacent to anger, but not quite. Enough to make him nervous. "You stayed for… a while. A long time. You – you said we could be brothers." He can feel Morro's eyes on him, can't meet his gaze. "Sensei said you were going to be the Green Ninja, and –"

That's definitely anger, a burst of it that makes Ronin wince. The next moment, Morro shoves it down. "And I wasn't," he says.

Ronin just nods. "You… you left after that. You told me you would come back, but –" His voice trembles. "– you didn't. And then Sensei told me – he told me you were gone. Gone and cursed."

Morro doesn't say anything for a few moments. "I was alone when I was with Wu," he says. "There were the other students, but they didn't, y'know. Live with him. I didn't have a brother."

Despair grips his heart. "There was no one…?" Ronin says softly.

"Nope. Only me." Morro shrugs. "I left when he told me I wasn't the Green Ninja, same as your Morro did, and, yeah, died and went to the Cursed Realm. I don't know how your Wu found that out, though, because when I came back, he claimed he had no idea."

"But…" Ronin lifts his head up to look at him. Morro stares back with one eyebrow raised. "If you died…"

He trails off. Morro seems to understand what he means, even without Ronin saying it.

"I was resurrected," he says. "That's why I'm alive now. I spent fifty years dead, though."

Ronin's eyes widen. "Fifty – it's only been two years since you left!"

"Really? That explains why you're younger than the Ronin I know." Morro frowns. "Though he's only… what, thirty? Forty? He wasn't alive when I was."

Ronin realizes he's staring and quickly looks away. He doesn't know what to say. What could he say? This isn't his Morro. This Morro didn't have a brother. The Ronin in this world is someone different. Ronin can feel tears pricking at his eyes again.

"I'll tell you one thing," Morro says, "the Ronin I know cries a lot less."

That's enough to elicit a whimper, as much as Ronin tries to keep it in.

"Wow." Morro stands up. Ronin turns away, covering his mouth to try and muffle his sobs. "Well, I'm going to go. Should probably tell Borg you're alright." Ronin hears his footsteps leaving, walking towards the door. "You should probably stay here for now. Borg will probably come back up to check on you."

Ronin says nothing.

"Bye, then."

And Morro leaves.

* * *

Ronin spends the entire rest of the day curled up in bed. Borg comes back and tries to talk to him through the door; Ronin ignores him. He drifts in and out of sleep, watching the sky outside the window get darker and darker as the sun sets.

Thankfully, he doesn't dream.

Eventually, he wakes up to the door opening. "You should stop sleeping so much," Morro says as he walks into the room. "It's been a while. Borg and I need to figure out what to do with you."

Ronin sits up, the blankets falling off him. "I can go," he says.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't. You're from at least fifty years ago – or however long ago it was in your timeline – and you don't have anywhere to stay." Morro furrows his brow. "You could stay with this timeline's Ronin, maybe? That could be funny."

"I want to go back," Ronin says.

"Back where? The Cursed Realm?"

Ronin nods.

Fear spikes off of Morro, stabbing through the air and making Ronin wince. He can feel Morro trying to reel it in and tamp it down, but it's still there, almost tangible.

Morro betrays none of this in his expression, nor his voice as he says, "You really don't."

"You don't understand." Ronin's voice catches in his throat. "I have to find my brother. I – I need to be with him. I…"

"Maybe we can talk about doing that," Morro says, "but you can't just open a portal and expect to find him. Even if you do go into the Cursed Realm, it would be this timeline's Cursed Realm, and he won't be there."

"Please," Ronin whispers. "I need to find him. I…"

He trails off. Morro sighs. "Come on. Let's talk to Borg."

* * *

Morro leads Ronin to an elevator. Ronin nearly falls over when it starts moving, and he clings to Morro's arm to keep from falling. Morro shakes him off and takes a step away.

Ronin doesn't know what the screens scattered around the room are, all flickering with lights and images and words he can't make out. He shrinks back, stopping in the doorway. Morro rolls his eyes. "We're here, Dad," he says out loud.

"Dad?" Ronin repeats.

"It's – I –" Morro flushes. Ronin can feel his embarrassment. "Nothing. Shut up about it."

Borg turns his wheelchair around to face them. "You're here! Thank you, Morro, for fetching him."

"Whatever," Morro says.

Borg smiles and turn to Ronin. "How are you feeling?" he asks. "Do you need anything? We have some snacks down here, if you're hungry."

Ronin says nothing. It's not that he doesn't trust Borg – he has no reason not to, because Borg doesn't have any emotional shields. That's what makes him uneasy; what kind of person could afford to be so genuine, all the time? It's not normal, Ronin thinks.

He can feel Borg's worry. "It's alright if you're not comfortable to talk to me, yet – but you shouldn't be afraid to ask for anything you need or want. You're safe here."

"I want to find my brother," Ronin says.

"His brother who's dead and in the Cursed Realm," Morro adds.

Borg's worry increases to fear. "Ah – is that what… you were trying to go to the Cursed Realm?"

"Yes." Ronin takes a deep breath. "I – I need him. I can't go back to Wu. I don't have anywhere else." His hands are shaking. He clenches them into fists. "He won't be able to find me there and I – I'll be with Morro – _my_ Morro – again."

Borg and the other Morro exchange a look. "That's… not your only option, you know," Borg says. "You should… take some time to think about your next steps."

"No," says Ronin.

"I mean, the Cursed Realm isn't going anywhere," Morro says. "If we even can get you back in the first place."

"You need to send me back," says Ronin. "You were going to, right? When I first fell here."

Morro sucks in air through his teeth. "Yeah, well, now that we know you're not some vengeful ghost who knows me and wants me dead…"

Ronin repeats himself: "You need to send me back."

"Forgive me for this," says Borg, "but I'm not comfortable sending a child to his doom, regardless of how much you claim to want it."

Ronin feels a sudden spike of anger, and he reaches for the wooden knife hanging from his neck.

Morro tries to grab him; Ronin ducks and darts forward. He focuses his power, shapes the wood into metal, feeling the dagger's weight in his hand – he lunges at Borg, only for a gust of wind to knock him off-course and send him slamming into the wall.

" _Get the hell away from him!_ " Morro screeches.

"Are you alright?!"

"Why are you asking _him,_ he just tried to _stab_ you –"

Ronin scrambles to his feet, drops the illusion, and runs out the door.

"Get back here!" Morro yells, but Ronin keeps going, through the maze of hallways until he finds a window. He runs directly at it. He can here Morro's footsteps chasing him – he leaps at the window. The glass shatters on impact.

He only realizes how high up he is once he's falling.

The wind roars – Ronin doesn't fall very far before his not-brother's elemental power grab him, the air itself slowing his fall and pushing him back up. He keeps a tight grip on his knife, preparing his own power again, but –

– he can't do it. Looking at Morro's face, even twisted in anger as he pulls him through the broken window, even knowing he's not his _true_ brother, Ronin can't do it. He doesn't want to hurt Morro.

"Maybe we _should_ send you back," Morro says, glaring at him. "How did you do that? Even I haven't been able to break the windows!"

Borg's fear is tangible, almost. Ronin can barely breathe with how it fills the room. He wraps his arms around himself and huddles on the floor while Borg talks. "Oh my goodness – are you alright? What happened! Did he break the window?!"

"We're fine," Morro says, and he grabs Ronin's arm and pulls him roughly to his feet. "Let's call the ninja."

"But –"

Morro's anger is coming off in waves. "Just do it."

"…alright. They might be able to help better than we can."

Ronin doesn't know who the ninja are. He can't find it within himself to care. Maybe they'll be willing to send him back, to his world's Cursed Realm, so he can finally be with his Morro like he wanted.


	2. the cleft in the earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please assume that the "suicidal thoughts" tag on this fic applies to very nearly every chapter. idk what else to warn for here? proceed with caution.

He does end up locked in his room. Ronin can hear the lock click after he's escorted back and the door closed. There are no windows, so he can't get out that way. There's nothing to do but up in bed again and let himself drift to sleep.

He dreams.

* * *

Ronin is walking in a maze of docks and alleys, the old streets of Stiix but expanded and multiplied. There are bridges crossing over themselves and buildings haphazardly stacked, rising high into the sky. Ronin is on the bottom level, and he can hear the waves splashing against the poles as he walks.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Ronin's breath catches in his throat and he ducks into an alcove.

"You can't hide from me," the voice continues. "I'll always find you. You know that, don't you?"

He can't stay put. Ronin runs, his feet pounding on the stairs as he ascends higher into the maze.

"I'll find you, dear brother!"

 _Step_ -brother, Ronin thinks. Not his true brother. Related by blood and nothing else. He keeps running, going higher and higher –

"But –"

And Youxia is right in front of him.

Ronin stumbles back, regaining his footing on the edge of the platform they're on. Youxia, his mirror – he glares at him and takes a step forward.

"But you've gone somewhere I didn't expect," he says. "What's worse – you did it by accident. You broke the boundaries between worlds in a way that's very hard to follow – and it wasn't even your intent." Youxia grins. "But I can still find you here."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Ronin whispers.

"You know I can't do that." Youxia takes another step forward. Ronin looks back behind him, at the drop off the platform. "Don't you, brother?"

Ronin clutches the wooden knife. Youxia laughs.

"You've always been so scared. So pathetic. Even when we were children. What's there to be afraid of?"

–  _Ronin_ –

The voice seems to come from above him. Ronin looks up. Youxia pushes him hard in the chest.

– _Ronin_ –

He barely manages to grab the edge of the dock in time. Ronin gasps and tries to pull himself up, but Youxia is still there, standing directly above him. Ronin tries to speak, tries to ask why – Youxia steps on his fingers and he cries out in pain and loses his grip.

– _Ronin!_ –

* * *

He wakes up before he hits the water.

Ronin's eyes snap open and he nearly thinks it's Youxia again, hovering above him – in the next moment, he recognizes Morro, and he allows himself to relax.

Then he remembers that this Morro is not his brother, and he flinches and pulls the blanket over his head.

He can practically feel the other Morro rolling his eyes, what with the emotion coming off him. "You were screaming in your sleep," Morro says. "Does that happen often?"

"Go away," Ronin says.

"No. There are some people here to see you."

Ronin stays underneath the blanket. "Tell them to go away."

"Yeah, that's not happening. They're the ninja." Morro pauses. "Some of them, anyway. They're not all here. Whatever; it's kind of their job to deal with anomalies like you and me. They'll figure out what to do with you."

Ronin remembers his goal – the Cursed Realm. Being with his brother again. He pushes the blanket off him and sits up.

"Great," Morro says. "Come with me."

Ronin lets Morro lead him through the halls, to the elevator, up to the hundredth floor. "Borg's office is up here," Morro explains in the elevator, though Ronin didn't ask. "It's where the ninja are waiting." Anger oozes out from him. "Don't try to stab anyone again. How did you even do that? That doesn't look like a real knife."

Ronin grabs at the wooden knife around his neck. Morro stiffens, then relaxes when Ronin doesn't move, just clutches the knife in a trembling hand.

"I don't know how you broke the window, but don't do that again, either." Morro frowns. "That's reinforced glass, or something. It's not supposed to be breakable. Not by some kid jumping at it, anyway."

"It's just glass," says Ronin.

"It's not _just glass,_ it's –" Morro groans. "Whatever. We'll be rid of you soon."

Ronin blinks, but Morro doesn't elaborate, and the elevator doors open with a _ding._

The room is full of unfamiliar people. He recognizes Borg talking to someone with shiny silver skin and a mannerism that's _off_ in a way Ronin can't place, but they stop and turn towards them when Morro and Ronin walk in.

"Here's the kid," Morro says. Ronin says nothing.

"Hey!" One of the people walk over, a man dressed in a red gi with brown hair spiking up and a grin on his face. "You're weird, alternate universe Ronin, right?"

"Lay off, Kai," someone else says, a man in a black gi who elbows the red-dressed man in the side. "At least introduce yourself before joking around."

"I'm not joking! This is all facts, right?"

A woman with black bobbed hair rolls her eyes and turns to Ronin. "Hi, Ronin," she says to him. "I'm Nya, the Water Ninja. That's Kai, the Red Ninja, Cole, the Black Ninja, and Zane, the White Ninja." She gestures at each of them in turn. "Lloyd and Jay aren't here right now, but they're the Green Ninja and Blue Ninja. We're Sensei Wu's students, and –"

Ronin stiffens, his eyes wide. His reaction is impossible to miss; Nya stops mid-sentence and frowns. "Is something wrong?" she asks.

"He said he was Wu's student in the other universe," Morro says. "He tried to send himself to the Cursed Realm to get away from him, which was all I needed to know about their relationship."

Ronin finds words. "I'm not going back to him."

"That's fine," Nya says. "There's… really no reason for you to stay with us if you don't want to."

"Let's just say we've learned our lesson with that sort of thing," Kai says.

Morro grumbles under his breath. Ronin doesn't know what Kai is referencing, but he nods anyway.

"Okay," says Cole. "So… where do you want to stay? Here, or –"

"The Cursed Realm," Ronin says.

The ninja all wince. "Yeah," Kai says. "Borg told us about that. You, uh, can't really go there."

Ronin glares at him. "I want to find my brother," he says. "If you won't help me, I'll go there myself."

Borg takes a deep breath and speaks up. "This is why I called you," he says. "I have no intention of letting this child die, but… I'm afraid I don't know what to do in this situation."

He can feel the worry on everyone in the room – except Morro, who has shields up again. Ronin scowls; he can feel his own anger burning inside him, stronger than when he was with Wu, but he keeps his mouth shut. These are Sensei Wu's students, and despite what Nya said, he doesn't trust them not to bring him back.

Zane frowns. "I don't think we're certain of a course of action either," he says. "Certainly, alternate universes are within our jurisdiction, but…"

Ronin starts eyeing the windows.

"Have you told our universe's Ronin yet?" Kai says. "I mean, if this kid is him from another timeline, maybe he'd know what to do."

"That's probably a good idea," Cole says.

Nya nods. "Even if he can't help, he should at least know."

"You're right," Borg says. "Morro, can you –"

"I'll tell him next time I see him," Morro says.

"I was thinking you could tell him sooner rather than later."

"I'll text him."

"Morro –"

"Can I go now?" Ronin asks.

Everyone turns to look at him. Fear flutters inside him – the ninjas are standing between him and the windows. Was that deliberate? He doesn't know. Ronin stares at them with wide eyes.

"We still don't know what to do with you," Morro says. His shields are still up, so Ronin can't tell if he's annoyed or if he just sounds like it.

"There's no harm in letting him stay here for a while longer," Borg says. "If there's nowhere else, anyway."

Morro rolls his eyes. "Because another suicidal teenager is exactly what you want, right?"

Silence falls over them. Ronin feels like he's choking on the mix of emotions that fill the room. He doesn't realize how apt the metaphor is until his vision blurs and the room tilts.

Nya is at his side, holding him up as he wheezes and struggles to breathe. All the frantic voices mix together and he can't make out any words, and all he can think of is his brother, gone and cursed, and he'll never again see him or hear his laugh or sit on the roof of the monastery together and point out the stars –

He can feel tears running down his cheeks, and he clings to Nya and sobs.

* * *

By the time the attack passes, Borg has already insisted on taking him to see a doctor. There's nothing Ronin can say to persuade him otherwise.

The other Morro doesn't come with them. Neither do the ninja. Ronin isn't sure if he should be grateful or not.

"Are you breathing alright?" Borg asks. Ronin nods and looks out the car window, watching the surroundings rush by. It's disorienting, moving this fast. Ronin remembers running away with Morro, riding through the clouds on an elemental dragon, and grief for his brother knocks his train of thought off course. He tries to think about something else, which only leads to feeling guilty for not wanting to think about his brother, and he's miserable the entire rest of the ride.

"Oh dear," Borg says just as the driver pulls into a parking space. "You don't have any form of identification, do you?"

"What?" Ronin says.

"Of course you don't. Hm. This might be a problem."

Ronin gets out of the car only when the door is opened for him. Without any other options, he follows Borg through the doors. He stands a few steps behind while Borg talks to the person at the desk, feeling the gazes of everyone else inside the room staring at him. He stands still, hunching over with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I know he doesn't have any health insurance, but –"

"That's not the problem. You can't bring an undocumented minor here and expect us to not ask questions."

"I've already informed the ninja –"

"The ninja aren't any legal authority, Borg. If he's not in any life-threatening danger, you should bring him to the police."

Every attempt Borg makes at persuasion is interrupted. Ronin wonders if they can't go back now. He can feel Borg's emotions spilling out of him, worry and fear and a low heat of anger, and the curiosity of the people staring.

"This is hardly a matter for the police, don't you –"

"All I know is that this is the second child that's come to be in your care with no legal identity, and if I am being honest, that is cause for concern."

Borg doesn't say anything for a few long moments. Finally, he clears his throat and says, "I should go."

* * *

"What do you want to eat?"

Ronin stares at him blankly from across the table. Borg chuckles and smiles awkwardly. "I didn't want to go back to the tower right away," he says. "I thought a lunch out would be a nice change of pace. I'm sorry we weren't able to get you seen by a doctor."

Ronin says nothing.

"Take a look at the menu, I'm sure you'll find something you like."

The restaurant they're at has mostly seafood, judging by the names of the dishes. Ronin stares at it until someone walks up to him and he starts. "It's just the waiter," Borg says quickly. "No need to be frightened. Have you decided on something?"

"No," says Ronin.

"That's alright! Take your time."

Ronin doesn't want to be here.

He doesn't want to be with Borg and the Morro who's not his brother. He doesn't want to see the ninja, Sensei Wu's students. Ronin sits there staring at the menu, feeling hopelessness eat away at him – until a light cuts through, a way out making itself clear.

He stands up and bolts before Borg can ask him what he's doing.

* * *

The city is big. Ronin runs out into the street, almost gets hit by a car, and keeps going, his feet pounding on the pavement. He dodges through crowds of people on the sidewalk, crosses the streets without looking, until his breaths start coming out in gasps and he has to slow down and rest. He should have gotten far away enough, he thinks, but just in case, he ducks into an alley, crouching down out of side from the street.

What should he do next?

Ronin doesn't know. He's not hungry yet, so he doesn't need to find anything to eat. Ronin sits on the filthy ground and thinks. Maybe he should keep going, he thinks. If he gets far away enough, no one will be able to find him.

He can do that later. Right now, he needs to rest. Ronin leans against the wall and closes his eyes. He won't sleep, but it can't hurt to rest his eyes for a moment…

* * *

He jerks awake, his body heavy from sleep. He doesn't remember anything from his dream, only a vague fear filling his skull, and Ronin knows he needs to move again.

At least he can run, Ronin thinks. Sensei Wu can't find him here. He can't drag him back again. No matter what happens, no matter if he gets to the Cursed Realm, he's never, _never_ going back there.

The knowledge gives him comfort during his days on the run.


	3. blight on the harvest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing hard
> 
> discussion of abuse in this chapter

At first, he tries to keep track of the time he spends on the streets, but after eight days, Ronin stops counting. He doesn't remember what day he left, and he barely knows what day it is most of the time. He sleeps when he's tired and rummages through dumpsters when he's hungry, and all the days blur together.

Ronin things he prefers it like this. This way, he can figure out how to get to the Cursed Realm without anyone telling him no.

He spends most of the daylight hours in the library. He's fairly certain the librarian knows he's homeless, but they don't say anything, they just let this grimy kid grab the books he wants and huddle in a corner to read them. Once they silently gave him a plate of cookies, and Ronin could feel the worry radiating from them when he flinched at their approach.

Thankfully, they don't pay attention to or question the books he chooses, because the only thing he reads are old, scholarly tomes on magic and curses.

The public part of the library has nothing on how to cast spells. Some of the books mention other books in which someone could learn, but Ronin can't find them, and he thinks they're locked away deeper in the library. Without knowing where they are, it wouldn't be safe to pick the locks and risk wandering around in the off-limits areas until he's caught. Ronin closes the book he had been reading, tucks it back on the shelf, and leaves five minutes before closing.

The sun hasn't set yet. Ronin wanders aimlessly, keeping to the alleys and the shadows. He can feel exhaustion creeping up on him; he keeps walking to ward it off. He doesn't want to sleep just yet. Memories of his nightmares make him shudder.

Eventually, he's too tired to keep going, and he finds a quiet space behind a dumpster to lie down. The ground is cool, a relief from the summer heat. He closes his eyes and hopes he doesn't dream.

* * *

The screech of the dumpster opening jerks him awake. Ronin lies there with his eyes wide open and his heart pounding while two voices talk to each other.

"That's all I've got for you today, kid. I'm running out of junk to give you."

"You can't possibly run out of junk. Your shop's full of it."

That's Morro's voice – what is he doing here? Ronin forces himself not to move.

"Yeah, yeah," says the first voice, the unfamiliar one. "Go home. Workday's over."

"Aww, don't you like having me around?"

The other person snorts, and Ronin hears him step forward just as Morro yelps. "C'mere, kid –"

"Hey!" Morro laughs. "Let go of me! You can't keep pushing me around like this!"

"Or what? You'll quit?"

"You don't even pay me! Maybe I just won't show up tomorrow, how'd you like that?"

"I'd finally get some peace and quiet, that's for sure."

Ronin can feel their auras radiating happiness as they bicker back and forth. He stays quiet as he can, his breathing soft and slow. Finally, Morro says, "I need to get home. See you tomorrow, Ronin."

_What?_

Ronin stiffens at the sound of his own name – but if Morro knew he was here, he wouldn't just leave like this, would he? And the other voice – is that him? The Ronin who isn't Morro's brother?

"See you," the other voice responds. "Tell me if you get any updates on… well, yeah."

"Yeah," Morro says. "I'll let you know. Bye."

Morro's footsteps fade away, and eventually, Ronin hears the other Ronin go inside and the quiet _click_ of a door locking.

It's dark out. Ronin lies there for a long time before crawling back out – he's not going to get any more sleep here. He stands up and hesitates, staring at the door his alternate self must have gone through. His thoughts jumble together, and by the time he realizes he has to leave –

"Hey, kid!"

– he's already been spotted.

Ronin goes shock still and stares with wide eyes at his other self. His other self stares right back. He's – well, he's older, definitely, but there's something else, something that puts Ronin on edge. It's not the scope he's wearing over one eye, it's not the unshaven scruff on his face, but _something_ –

"Kid," the other Ronin repeats. "What are you doing here?"

Ronin says nothing.

"You lost or something?"

Ronin says nothing.

He can feel a trace of worry in his other self's aura as he sighs. "What's your name?" he asks.

Ronin panics. "Tadao."

He regrets it as soon as the name leaves his mouth. Of course his other self would know the name. Of course he would know the meaning. Ronin would be recognized immediately, and he'd be sent back to Borg and the wrong Morro –

"Alright," says the other Ronin. "You hungry, Tadao? You look it."

He blinks and says nothing.

"I know a homeless kid when I see one. I'll get you some food, give me a sec."

His other self goes back inside.

After a moment's hesitation, Tadao follows.

* * *

The room is messy. Tadao's eyes dart around from the dishes stacked haphazardly on the table and counters, to the various mechanical bits littered around, to Ronin bending down and frowning at the contents of a small fridge. Tadao steps forward and something crunches under his foot, startling Ronin.

"Whoa!" He nearly drops the food he's holding. "Kid, I thought – well, never mind. I was just gonna give you something to take with you, but if you want to eat in here, that's fine by me."

Tadao says nothing.

"You're sure quiet, kid. Let me stick this in the microwave."

Ronin gestures to the table. It's tall; Tadao's feet don't reach the ground when he sits. He stays quiet, staring at Ronin as he prepares the food.

"Where you from?" Ronin asks without looking at him.

"Stiix," says Tadao.

"Oh. Damn. Sorry to hear it."

Tadao blinks, but he doesn't get a chance to ask any questions. The food is done. Ronin puts a plate down in front of him. "Here you go," he says. "I've still got to count the money, so just stay put while I go do that."

He walks into another room, leaving the door open behind him. Tadao looks down at the food for a long moment before he begins to eat.

Ronin comes back in while he's still eating. Tadao freezes with a mouthful of food and watches Ronin as he sits down across from him.

"You're from Stiix, huh?" Ronin says. "That why you're homeless?"

Tadao says nothing.

Ronin sighs. "I knew this would happen. Rehousing program wasn't gonna work for everyone. You have a place to sleep, kid?"

Tadao says nothing.

Ronin frowns. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but if you need help, I know some people who know some people. What do you say?"

An thought occurs to him. Tadao swallows his food and speaks up. "I'll go back to Stiix," he says.

Ronin stares at him incredulously. "Don't you know?" he says. "I mean… everyone knows. Have you been under a rock this whole time, kid? Or…"

He trails off, staring at him. Tadao feels the mix of emotions in Ronin's aura and realizes he's made a mistake.

"Kid –" Ronin starts. Tadao shoves the table over and drops down from the chair to run.

He doesn't get very far before Ronin grabs his arm. "Kid!" he says sharply while Tadao struggles. "Calm down, I just want to talk."

"Let me go!"

"Kid. Tadao." He takes a deep breath. " _Ronin._ "

Tadao goes stiff. His eyes dart from side to side looking for a way out, but his other self won't let go and it's over, Ronin is going to call Borg and he'll go back and he'll be stuck without his brother forever –

"I just want to talk," Ronin repeats. "Nothing else. Alright, kid?"

He lets go of Tadao's arm. Tadao crumples to the floor.

"Aw, shit," Ronin says. "You alright? The hell am I saying, of course you're not."

Tadao hugs his knees to his chest and squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to cry. A few tears leak out anyway.

He can hear Ronin sigh, and the next time he speaks, his voice is closer, like he's crouching down.

"Listen," he says. "I know you ran away from Borg. I'm not gonna tell him you're here. I mean, I think you're way better off staying with him than on the street, but you've got your reasons, right?"

Tadao trembles with restrained sobs. Ronin sighs again.

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But… it's not safe out there, not really, and I'm your best bet if you don't want to be found. What do you say?"

He doesn't have any other options, does he? Tadao lies there and doesn't move while Ronin picks him up and carries him to the couch.

* * *

He wakes up on something soft. Tadao doesn't know where he is at first, then he sits up and squints in the dim light, slowly putting together the unfamiliar surroundings. It's still dark outside, and all the lights are off. Tadao pushes the blanket off him and gets off the couch.

He could leave. Ronin must be still asleep; Tadao could leave and go back to running.

But…

Tadao sits back down and waits for Ronin to wake up.

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when he hears footsteps coming downstairs. "Oh, you're up," Ronin says when he flicks the light on. "Don't have much for breakfast, unfortunately, but hey, cereal's always good, right?"

"Okay," Tadao says.

Tadao sits at the table and Ronin puts a bowl of dry cereal and a carton of milk in front of him. "Wait, hang on," Ronin says, and he takes the milk away and opens it to sniff it. "Dammit," he mutters, wrinkling his nose. "It's gone bad. Whatever, dry cereal's fine."

They eat. The silence is unsettling. Tadao finish his food fast and pushes the bowl to the side.

"How did you know who I was?" he asks.

Ronin looks up from his own bowl. "Morro told me about you. Not much, just that you got here through a portal and ran away from Borg. You really worried him there, you know."

"You won't –"

"Relax, kid, I won't tell him or anyone else you're here." Ronin scoops up the last of his cereal and continues talking with his mouth full. "Figure you can stay with me for a while. Morro's gonna be coming by later today, but he doesn't gotta know you're here. You can go upstairs or go do whatever it is you do on the street."

"The library," Tadao says.

"Yeah, that'll work." Ronin swallows his food and clears his throat. "So, kid, what's your story?"

"What?"

"You know. Where you're from, all that stuff. I told you, Morro didn't tell me much. All I know is that you're apparently an alternate version of myself." Ronin makes a face. "And honestly, you look so much like I did as a kid, I feel kinda stupid for not realizing sooner."

Tadao doesn't comment on that.

"Speaking of which, what do you want me to call you? I mean, I'm still just gonna call you 'kid,' but when I need an actual name –"

"Tadao is fine."

"Alright."

Ronin stares at him. Tadao frowns. "Aren't you going to ask questions?"

"I figured you'd start from the beginning."

"I dunno."

"Alright, alright. You're from Stiix, huh?"

Tadao nods. "Wu found me there."

Ronin raises an eyebrow. "Sorry, _who_ found you there?"

"Wu." Tadao shudders. "He – he wanted to train me. And he did, but… he didn't like my powers, I don't think. He told me I was evil, that –"

_"You're an anomaly. You and your powers aren't supposed to exist. You really are an evil child."_

"Okay," Ronin says, halting Tadao's runaway thoughts. "That – shit, kid, what do I say? That's fucked up. But what do you mean by powers?"

Tadao blinks. "Don't you have them?"

"Uh, no?"

"Oh." He opens his mouth, closes it, and furrows his brow. "It's like…"

He shapes a fox on the table and it shimmers to life, shaking its head and looking around with gold eyes. It's fur sparkles with faint light that ripples down its body. Ronin jerks back in his seat and almost tips his chair over. "Holy shit!"

"It's not dangerous." Tadao pets the fox, feeling its fur between his fingers. "See?"

Ronin hesitates, but he reaches a hand out and runs it down the fox's tail. "Holy shit," he repeats, quieter this time. "You can just make these? What's that called?"

"Illusions."

"Kid, it's not illusions if it's real."

"They're not real," Tadao says, and the fox vanishes.

Ronin flinches, then takes his hand back. "Alright. Cool. So… can you only make foxes? Can you do other animals?"

"I can make a lot of things," Tadao says. "I can, um… I can change things, too, but it's not real. So it goes away."

"Still pretty cool, though. Wish I could do it." Ronin frowns. "And Wu told you this power was evil?"

Tadao is about to explain, then he stops himself before he begins and just says, "Yeah."

"That's… that's messed up. Damn. Like, Morro's told me some things about his time with Wu, but… damn." Ronin shakes his head. "Didn't think the guy could get that bad, telling that to a kid."

Tadao looks at his empty cereal bowl.

"He didn't… I dunno. He didn't hit you or anything, did he?"

"Not usually."

"Not _usually?_ "

"I mean, it didn't happen a lot."

He doesn't like the horrified look Ronin is giving him. Tadao looks away. "Can we talk about something else?" he says.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Ronin says quickly. "Did he have any other students? I mean…"

Tadao nods. "Morro," he says. "We…"

He trails off. Ronin nods. "Morro – the one I know, I mean – he said you said something about you guys being brothers?"

"We were," Tadao says, and immediately hates himself for using the past tense. "We are," he says. "I'm going to find him."

Ronin frowns. "How do you plan to do that?"

The way he says it, cautiously, as if he's afraid of the answer – Tadao feels rage well up inside him, same as when Borg refused to send him to the Cursed Realm.

"I know he's dead," Tadao snaps. "I know he's cursed. I'm going to find him. That's what – that's what I was trying to do, before I got stuck here!"

His eyes well up with unwanted tears and he turns his head away. He knows Ronin is still staring at him, doesn't want to imagine the look on his face. Ronin's emotions are foggy and hard to discern. Tadao doesn't feel anything much from him when he stands up.

"You were trying to go to the Cursed Realm," Ronin says.

Tadao doesn't answer.

"Alright. Kid, we're going on a walk."

Tadao snaps his head up and stares at Ronin. "What?"

"Relax, I'm not gonna bring you back to the tower or anything. We're just gonna walk around the city." Ronin takes out a phone. "I'm gonna call Morro and tell him he doesn't need to come in today, just hang tight for a moment, alright?"

He walks a few steps away, holding the phone up to his ear – "Hey, Morro? Yeah, I'm not opening shop today. Yeah. Nah, just didn't feel like it. Alright. Bye." – then goes up the stairs. Tadao doesn't know what else to do but wait.

When Ronin comes back down, he's carrying a small backpack. "Should have everything we need," he says. "C'mon, let's go."

Tadao hesitates, then follows Ronin out the door.


	4. searching for the lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: someone gets stabbed in this chapter.
> 
> comment if U enjoy; I know that since it's a crossover between two aus it's a fairly niche fanfic, so please do comment if you're reading. I mean I'll write this even if the only two people reading it are me & my bro but like… comments are nice.

They go down to the docks, first. "I like it down here," Ronin comments. "Kinda reminds me of Stiix. The shadier parts do, anyway."

Tadao wonders why they can't just go to Stiix, but then again, it's a long way away from Ninjago City. He says nothing and stays close to Ronin's side. The ocean is rough, and the sound of the waves is bring up a vague memory that he shoves down without acknowledging.

"You're not enjoying this, are you," Ronin says. It's not a question.

"Where are we going?" Tadao asks.

"Just around. I'll find somewhere better."

The park is next, but it's fairly close to Borg Tower. Tadao is fidgeting the whole time, glancing up at the tower rising into the sky, and eventually Ronin sighs and says, "Okay, let's try somewhere else."

Once they're out of sight of the tower, Tadao speaks up again. "What are we doing?"

"We're just –" Ronin makes an incomprehensible gesture, then crosses his arms and sighs again. "Never mind. It was a stupid idea, I guess. You said you wanted to go to the library, right?"

Tadao nods.

"Mind if I come with?"

They go to the library. The librarian looks up and smiles. "Hello," they say. Tadao flinches back.

Ronin pats him on the shoulder. "Relax, kid. You know them?"

Tadao nods, slowly, then shakes his head.

"I see him here often," the librarian says. "Are you related?"

Ronin chuckles. "In a way. Glad you've been keeping an eye on him."

Tadao doesn't like drawing this much attention. He walks off towards the books. Ronin lets him go in favor of chatting with the librarian.

He's exhausted all the library's books on curses he can find, but Tadao spots one on magic he hasn't read yet. He carries it to his corner to sit down and read.

He hasn't gotten very far through it when Ronin sits down next to him. "Whatcha reading?"

Tadao slams the book shut. "Nothing," he says.

Ronin frowns. "Looks pretty heavy for a kid your age."

"It's not that – it's fine."

"Huh."

Ronin stands up and walks away. Tadao buries himself back in his book.

Tadao's not sure how much time has passed when Ronin returns. More than a few minutes, but probably not an hour. However long it's been, Ronin tells him, "Alright, let's check out that book and go."

"Now?"

"I mean, we can stay a little longer, but I wasn't planning on staying here all day. We could get lunch out."

"Okay," Tadao says. He doesn't move.

Ronin cracks a smile. "Doesn't look like you're packing up to go."

Checking out the book means he has to show it to the librarian, and he doesn't want them to know what he's been reading. Tadao stands up and walks to put the book away.

"We could check it out, y'know," Ronin says, following him a few steps behind. "I have a card here."

"I don't want to," Tadao says.

"Alright. There any books you do want?"

Tadao thinks about the books of myths he had read back in his home universe, and he hesitates before shaking his head.

"Suit yourself. Let's go."

* * *

They don't go to the same lunch place Borg took Tadao to. This one is crowded, and you get your food at the counter instead of sitting down and being served. Ronin asks him if he wants a burger. Tadao tells him he doesn't know what a burger is.

"Really? I guess you're in the same situation the other kid was in. You kinda skipped a couple years of technological advancement." Ronin laughs. "Still… you don't know what a burger is. Huh! You can try one."

"The other kid?" Tadao asks.

"Y'know, this world's Morro. He was dead for fifty years, then got resurrected, and all this was new to him."

Tadao frowns. He doesn't like to think of this world's Morro, the one that's not his brother. He feels rougher around the edges, his emotions spiking off of him. His brother had that anger, but his emotions felt softer, and Tadao knew he loved him. His hand creeps to the wooden knife, feeling the names carved into the side. Kichiro & Morro. Tadao & Ronin.

He tries a burger, once they get their food. He eats it fast and sits quietly while Ronin takes his time with his own food.

"Did y' like it?" Ronin asks.

"I ate it," says Tadao.

Ronin raises an eyebrow. "Not the question I asked."

"It was okay."

"Guess that's the best answer I'm gonna get out of you, huh?"

Tadao says nothing.

"You don't seem comfortable here, kid," Ronin says. "Any reason? Just having a bad day?"

Ronin has been shielding his emotions all day – but Tadao can feel them, now. Fear, concern, sadness. Tadao doesn't like it. He tries to focus on anything else, on the emotions from all the other people in the restaurant. Happiness, anger, worry, embarrassment, fear – they flick in rapid succession, making Tadao dizzy.

"Kid? You alright?"

"What?" says Tadao.

Ronin frowns. "Just trying to check in on you. You feeling alright?"

His brother is in the Cursed Realm. Nothing is alright until he can get there, too. Tadao says nothing.

"Alright. Let's finish up."

* * *

Tadao falls behind when they approach the pawn shop, worried that the other Morro will be there. Ronin walks ahead and checks without Tadao saying anything. "All clear," he calls back. "C'mon, kid."

Ronin has some books from the library, Tadao realizes. "What are those?" he asks.

"Some books I thought you'd like." Ronin places the books on the counter. There's three of them. "I mean, I don't know what you'd like, but I know what I'd like as a kid. So I figured that'd be a good place to start."

He hands Tadao the first book. Tadao looks it over, frowning. It's a guide to lockpicking.

"I can get you some tools if you want," Ronin says. "Probably have a spare set of picks somewhere. Could even try teaching you."

"Why?" Tadao asks.

"Why not? It's a good skill to have. You might get some use out of it."

Tadao thinks of the books in the library, the ones in the off-limit areas.. He knows a little bit about lockpicking already, but it's all what he taught himself through trial and error. If he was faster, if he could get to those books, maybe if he knew what he was looking for…

"Okay," he says.

Ronin grins. "Great! I can't teach you right away, though, sorry if that's a disappointment. I've got some stuff I need to do. I'll be in the shop area, if you want to hang out there."

"I want to be alone."

"Alright. Shout if you need me."

Tadao reads the book, sitting on the couch with the blanket wrapped around him. He doesn't have anything to practice with, but just reading about how to pick locks might help him, maybe. He'll practice when he gets a chance.

Eventually, Ronin comes back. "Should be time enough for dinner," he says when Tadao looks up. "I'll make something. Man, should've gone grocery shopping while we were out… oh well."

He's shielding his emotions again. Tadao thinks he prefers it this way. He already knows Ronin is worried about him, knows he doesn't want him going to the Cursed Realm, just like everyone else does. At least if Ronin has his shields up, he doesn't have to constantly feel that worry.

Ronin's phone rings midway through dinner. "What's up?" Ronin says when he answers. "You worried about me? I told you, I just didn't feel like opening. Took a mental health day. Don't laugh at me, punk. Yeah. Nah, I'm fine." He pauses. "Sure, I'll open tomorrow. See you then. Bye."

He puts the phone down. "Morro's gonna be here tomorrow," he says to Tadao. "You're probably best off somewhere else. I mean, I'll let you hang out upstairs if you want, but it's not a big space. Not ideal, being cooped up there for eight hours."

"Okay," says Tadao.

"You need anything?"

Tadao shakes his head, then thinks for a moment. "Do you have something I can practice with?" he asks.

"Practice what? Lockpicking?" Ronin grins. "'Course I do. Let me get some things from the shop."

Ronin brings Tadao a few padlocks that are missing their keys, along with an odd piece of metal that's bend into a squiggle at the end. "This is called a rake," he says. "Book should tell you how to use it. I gave it a quick read before I loaned it."

Tadao nods. "Okay."

"Well, I'm gonna set up the shop to open tomorrow. You're free to hang out with me, if you want."

Tadao shakes his head. "I'll stay out here."

"Suit yourself, kid. I'll be right out here if you need anything."

While Ronin works in the pawn shop, Tadao sits on the couch and tries to open the locks. He gets frustrated quickly – they just won't open, no matter how he uses the rake. He opens the book again and reads it, then takes the rake and works it inside, feeling the mechanisms of the lock as he scrapes the rake over the pins

By the time Ronin comes back in, Tadao is asleep, the book fallen on the floor beside him. He's still clutching the rake in his hand, and one opened padlock lies beside his head.

* * *

He's back in Stiix, standing on a long, empty dock. He walks along it, not knowing what he'll find at the end, but when he looks back – he knows he has to move.

The dock leads into a cave, the water lapping at the poles. There's something green glowing inside. Tadao's breath catches. He starts to run towards it. "Morro?" he calls out. "Morro? Where are you?"

The cave is lit up with green and filled with fog so thick he can barely see. Tadao slows to a stop. "Morro!" he cries. "You're here, right? I'm going to find you! I'm going to be with you, I promise!" His eyes well up with tears. "I won't give up! I won't leave you all alone!"

"Touching!"

Tadao spins around. Youxia grins at him. He's holding a knife.

"But you won't find him here," Youxia continues, stepping closer. Tadao backs up, deeper into the cave. "You'll never find him. He's gone past where you can reach, don't you know?"

"I'll find him," Tadao whispers.

"Oh, certainly, you'll keep looking, you'll keep trying. You'll never, ever, give up – will you, brother?" Youxia laughs. "Neither will I!"

"Why are you doing this?" Tadao says.

Youxia ignores the question. "Try as you might, no matter what, you'll never, ever find him." He's so close now – Tadao backs up further, until the green fog is all around him, but Youxia closes the distance between them easily.

"You'll never find him," Youxia repeats. "Not without my help."

Tadao freezes.

In that moment, Youxia stabs the knife into his side, and Tadao screams –

* * *

"Kid! Kid!"

Tadao wails, clutching his side and curling up on the couch. Ronin grabs him, moves his hands away – "Holy shit, kid! What happened?!"

He can't speak, can only cry out in pain as Ronin picks him up. "Easy, kid," he says, and his voice is calm even though Tadao can feel the worry and fear radiating off him. "We need to get this taken care of. Hang on."

Tadao closes his eyes as he's placed on a hard, flat surface. Even after Ronin leaves, he can still see the emotion in the air, the wispy worry fogging his brain and making it hard to remember what he dreamed of. Youxia, he thinks – because he's the only explanation, the only reason he would wake up screaming in fear and with a horrible pain in his side, almost like he'd been –

Ronin is back. Tadao can hear water running. "I'm gonna need to take your shirt off," Ronin says. "Need to get a look at this wound. I'm gonna need you to keep your hands away, alright?"

Tadao sobs and curls in on himself.

"No, no, kid – you're gonna be okay, alright? Here."

His shirt is carefully worked up and off of him. Tadao keeps his eyes shut. "Shit," Ronin says. "That's – you're gonna be okay, kid, I promise. Alright…"

Ronin carefully takes Tadao's hands and moves them away from his side before dabbing at the wound with something cold. Tadao whimpers, but doesn't struggle – through the pain, he knows that Ronin is trying to help him.

"Do you know what happened?"

Bits and pieces of the dream come back to him. "Youxia," Tadao says, his voice pitched high in fear and pain.

"I don't know – is that the guy who did this to you? How'd he get in?"

"No, it was –" His side hurts. His hands are sticky with blood. "I – my powers – I dreamed it."

Ronin sucks in a sharp breath. "You dreamed you got hurt? And it _happened?_ "

Tadao nods.

"Holy shit. I… holy shit, kid."

For a few moments, neither of them say anything as Ronin cleans the wound. Finally, the cold is taken away, and Ronin says, "I'm gonna have to stitch this. Shit, I haven't done this in years…" Ronin takes a few deep breaths. "Kid, you're gonna be okay. There's a lot of blood, but it's not something we need to go to the hospital for. You'll be okay."

Tadao nods.

He makes it through Ronin stitching the wound without a lot of noise, just muffled whimpering and tears running down his cheeks. He keeps his eyes closed the whole time.

Eventually, Ronin says, "Alright, kid, I'm done."

Tadao opens his eyes. He's lying on the counter in Ronin's kitchen. His shirt is on the table, stained with blood. When he touches his side, he can feel bandages placed over the wound. Ronin is leaning over him still. His worry feels soft, the wisps brushing his face. Tadao breathes, feeling the pain in his side.

"I'm not letting you go out tomorrow," Ronin says, then blinks. "Today. Shit, it's already morning. Goddamn, how am I gonna get all this cleaned up before Morro gets here? Whatever. You'll stay up in my room. Just rest, alright?"

Tadao tries to sit up, but the pain when he moves stops him. "Easy, kid," Ronin says, and he carefully picks him up again. "Don't move too much. The rule is, if it hurts to do, don't do it. Or, y'know, try not to."

Ronin brings him upstairs and pushes the door open with his foot. The bedroom is covered in trash and dirty clothes. The bed has no sheets, just a blanket over a bare mattress. Ronin puts him down on it. "Just rest," he says again. "I'll check up on you as much as I can, alright?"

"Okay," Tadao whispers.

"We're going to have to talk about what happened – but later. You don't have to do anything now. If you need anything, just –" Ronin pauses. "Well, I'll check on you. Don't touch any of the light switches here, they don't all control the lights."

"Okay."

"Do you want the lights on or off?"

He doesn't want to sleep again. "On."

"Got it. I'm gonna get downstairs cleaned up." Ronin goes to the door and hesitates. "Morro'll be here in a few hours. Y'know, he and Borg might be able to help you with this… dream thing."

"No," Tadao says.

"Alright. Don't make too much noise, then. I'll try to cover if you do, but, y'know…" Ronin sighs. "Hang in there, alright?"

Tadao nods.

"I'll bring you breakfast once I'm done cleaning. Just…" Ronin shakes his head. "You know. Take it easy."

Tadao is starting to wish Ronin would just go.

"I'll be right downstairs," Ronin says, and finally, he leaves.

* * *

Tadao spends the day lying in Ronin's bed and trying not to sleep. Ronin brings him food, checks the bandages, and leaves again. Eventually, Tadao hears voices from downstairs. Morro, he thinks – this world's Morro. Ronin keeps checking on him, like he said. Changes his bandages and brings him more food, once lunchtime rolls around. Tadao doesn't eat all of it. He bites his lip until he tastes blood to stay awake, but he's exhausted, and sleep is threatening to overtake him.

In desperation, he calls on his powers. A fox appears, with shimmering fur he runs his hands through. "Will you watch over me?" he whispers – but the illusion wavers and vanishes.

He needs something else.

The next illusion takes effort to manifest, and Tadao is already so tired. He's struggling to keep his eyes open when the illusion is fully formed.

"Please," he whispers. "Stay with me. Watch over me. I miss you so much, I…"

The illusion gently takes his hand, and Tadao drifts to sleep with a smile.


	5. bargain with the beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: I'm gonna work on my nanowrimo novel  
> me:  
> me: pomegranate time
> 
> im really tired and idk if there's anything to warn for so just. proceed with caution?? idk, there's nothing super major, I don't think. again, suicide ideation is a warning for the entire fic, so like… yeah. proceed with caution.

Tadao wakes up with a jolt when Ronin knocks on the door. "Kid? You awake?"

He dismisses the illusion immediately, terrified of what Ronin will think. When the figure vanishes, Tadao feels a pang of grief, like there was never anyone there in the first place – and there wasn't, after all.

Ronin pushes the door open. Tadao stares at him with wide eyes. "Sorry," Ronin says. "Did I wake you up? Morro's gone home, so you can come back downstairs if you want."

Tadao nods, and he sits up slowly, trying to ignore the pain in his side. He gets as far as putting his feet on the floor before Ronin stops him. "Careful, kid! You're bleeding again."

Tadao looks at his side, sees the spots of blood through the bandages. He stays quiet as Ronin helps him stand and they slowly walk downstairs.

"You want dinner?" Ronin asks. "We can eat on the couch, watch some TV."

"What?" Tadao says.

"Okay, they definitely had television back when I was a kid, so you should know what it is."

Ronin gives him a plate and they both sit on the couch. Tadao has seen a television before, he realizes, but it looked much different, and the pictures were in black and white. These are full color and confusing. Tadao looks down and puts a forkful of food in his mouth.

They don't exchange words while they eat. Ronin seems focused on the TV, and Tadao doesn't have anything to say. The lockpicking book is on the counter, he notices. So is the rake. The padlocks are gone, for some reason.

"You want anything else?" Ronin asks.

Tadao still has food on his plate. "No," he says.

"Alright." Ronin takes a deep breath. Tadao can feel his aura of worry and fear. "Kid, can we talk about something?"

Tadao wonders what would happen if he said no.

"This dream thing… really freaked me out," Ronin says carefully. "I don't want that to happen again. I think we need to find some help for it."

"What do you mean?" Tadao asks.

"Like – something to stop whatever… dream thing caused this. I know you don't want to go back to Borg, and I'm not gonna take you back to him, but… we should talk to someone, y'know?"

Tadao shakes his head.

"Kid…" The emotion coming off Ronin is suffocating. He's not making any effort to shield it. "What would've happened if you'd been all alone this morning, when you woke up? Don't answer that, actually, 'cause I know what would've happened, and I don't want to think about it. What if something worse happens?"

Maybe if he lets Youxia kill him, he'll be able to be with Morro.

Tadao says nothing.

"Look," Ronin says. "I know someone. She deals with some magic stuff. I'm going to tell her – not about you, specifically, just… about the powers you have, alright? I won't say you're here. But I can't do nothing, understand?"

Tadao says nothing.

"…take care of yourself, alright?"

* * *

He can't leave. He thinks about it, but his side is burning in pain, and he doesn't know how far he would get. If Ronin caught him trying to leave, Tadao would be watched more closely, and then it would be harder to leave when he was healed. So he doesn't leave.

Ronin closes his pawn shop again the next day and takes Tadao to see a strange women. Tadao sticks close to Ronin, unsure who to trust, but knowing he doesn't trust the woman peering down at him. Her emotions are unreadable.

"You're not from this world, are you?" she says.

"You can tell that just by looking at him?" Ronin says in surprise.

"The boy has a strange aura on him. Powers like his don't exist here."

Powers like his aren't supposed to exist, Tadao thinks. He says nothing.

"You said he had problems with a dream?" the woman asks.

"I'll say! He won't tell me what the dream was about, not exactly, but –" Ronin glances at Tadao, then back up to the woman. "– he got hurt by someone in the dream, and then the wound showed up in real life!"

"Hm. Unusual."

"Yeah! So, Mystake – can you help him?"

"Very well." The woman steps back and gestures towards the back room. "Come this way, both of you."

Tadao doesn't want to go anywhere with Mystake, but Ronin follows her without hesitation, so Tadao doesn't have any choice. In the back room, Mystake has them sit down at a low table, then takes some cups of tea, somehow already hot and ready to drink.

Ronin eyes them suspiciously. "What kind of tea is this?"

"Not the magic kind," Mystake says. "Not yet. I just want to ask the child some questions. What's your name?"

Tadao swallows hard. "Tadao," he says.

"Your real name, dear."

He freezes.

"Uh," Ronin says when Tadao doesn't say anything, "it's same as mine. Ronin. I told you, he's me from an alternate world where I had powers and stuff."

Mystake turns her gaze to Ronin. "And you're sure you don't have powers?"

"Pretty damn sure, yeah."

"I know. I'm just messing with you, dear."

Ronin rolls his eyes while Mystake chuckles. "So," she says. "Tadao, little Ronin – can you tell me about your powers?"

"Illusions," Tadao whispers. His hand goes to the wooden knife hanging from his neck.

"Interesting. Can you show me?"

Tadao thinks of the illusion he created the night before. He shakes his head.

Mystake frowns. "Do they only work at certain times? Or do you just not want to show me?"

Maybe he can do something else. "It's –" He stops, tries again, takes out the knife and focuses his power. The wood shimmers and hardens into metal. "I can change things," he says. "Or create things. But… it's not real. It goes away."

"Very interesting," Mystake says. "Could I see that knife?"

Tadao jerks back and shakes his head.

Ronin sighs. "Kid, you gotta work with me, here. She's not gonna hurt you."

Mystake smiles. "It's fine, I was just curious. Now… is that all your powers can do?"

His tea is left untouched. Tadao shudders. He's terrified of this strange old lady, with emotions that aren't quite shielded, but not clear enough to make out. He clutches the knife in one hand and grabs Ronin's hand with the other.

"I can feel emotions," he says. "See them, I mean. Like… auras."

Mystake nods. "Anything else? Apart from the dreams, I mean."

There's nothing. Tadao shakes his head.

"Very well. What else can you tell me?"

Nothing. Tadao says nothing.

"I see." Mystake looks to Ronin. "I must say, I'm unsure if I have the answer you're looking for. I do have tea that prevents one from dreaming, but that's not a permanent solution."

"Better than nothing," Ronin says. "How much?"

Mystake smiles. "Nothing, so long you bring this child here again."

"No," Tadao says.

Ronin looks down at him, then back up at Mystake. "Yeah, I can't make any promises. How much?"

Mystake names a price that makes Ronin wince, but he takes out a bag of coins and carefully counts them out. "How long do you think this'll last?" he asks.

"Taken every night? Two weeks."

"I'll be back in two weeks, then."

They leave. Tadao doesn't let go of Ronin's hand all through the walk back to the bus. "You feeling alright?" Ronin asks.

"I'm fine," Tadao whispers.

"This should help stop any more nightmares. I mean, assuming that dream was a nightmare." Ronin scrunches up his nose. "I mean, I don't see how it couldn't be…"

A fragment of the dream comes back to him.

_"You'll never find him. Not without my help."_

Tadao puts his hand to the wooden knife, runs his finger along the names. Kichiro & Morro. Tadao & Ronin.

He will find him.

* * *

The tea tastes like mud. Tadao drinks it without complaining. Ronin is on the phone with Morro, trying to convince him that he's fine. "You'll be fine," he says to Tadao when he hangs up. "Morro's just worried about me closing twice in three days. Tried to tell him it has nothing to do with him, but…" He shrugs. "Well, whatever. Just stay up in my room tomorrow."

Tadao nods.

Ronin changes the bandages and puts a clean sheet over the couch cushions. "Might be a little more comfortable this way," he says. "I'll take 'em off before Morro comes in. He doesn't usually go back here, but, y'know, best to be safe."

"Okay," Tadao says.

Ronin putters around the kitchen while Tadao lies awake on the couch and waits for him to go away. Finally, he says goodnight and goes upstairs.

As soon as he's gone, Tadao sits up. He takes a deep breath and focuses his powers. He knows it's just an illusion, knows there's no one really there – but Tadao doesn't care. He misses him so much.

The illusion wavers, steadies, and Morro is standing beside him.

Everything is the same – the clothes he was wearing when he left; his height, a few inches shorter than the Morro of this world; the green streak in his hair – everything except his face. Tadao's human illusions are always faceless, no matter how hard he tries. He just has to imagine Morro's smile as he stands next to the couch.

He can't say anything for fear of Ronin hearing him – and there's so much he wants to say. I miss you. You said you would come back. I want you back so much. I love you, Morro.

Morro moves, sitting on the couch next to him. Tadao reaches out, and Morro pulls him into a hug. Without seeing his face – it's easy to pretend that this is real, that this is the real Morro holding him as his body trembles with restrained sobs. He knows it's just an fantasy – but God, let him pretend it's real, just for a night.

He falls asleep in his brother's arms.

* * *

His sleep is peaceful, dreamless. He doesn't want to wake up, but he doesn't have a choice – Tadao is jolted awake by shouting.

"What the _hell,_ Ronin?!"

Tadao flinches and presses himself into his brother's chest. He's not fully awake yet, he can't fully comprehend the anger and fear muddling the air. His brother shifts slightly, turning to face someone Tadao refuses to look at.

"Oh my God," the person says. "Ronin! Wake up! Get the hell down here!"

Tadao doesn't move as he hears footsteps come stomping down the stairs. "Okay, hang on," comes Ronin's voice. "I can explain, I – oh my God, kid –"

His brother shifts again, beginning the motions to stand up. Tadao tightens his grip on him and he stops.

"You have a damn lot of explaining to do! My dad's been worried sick about this brat!"

"Give me a second, kid – hey, Tadao?"

Tadao doesn't move.

"Tadao, kid – I know you're awake." He hears Ronin take a deep breath. "We gotta talk, alright? Morro's here a little earlier than I expected, and, uh… yeah, we gotta talk."

His brother puts a hand on his head. Tadao presses into his touch.

"Seriously, Tadao. I'm no expert, but I'd say using your powers to make an illusion of your dead brother… isn't healthy."

With those words, the spell is broken. The illusion vanishes – Tadao isn't holding on to anyone anymore. He curls up on the couch and dissolves into sobbing, barely feeling the pain in his side through his misery.

* * *

Tadao isn't in any state to talk, even after his crying has subsided, so Ronin ends up explaining how he ended up in the pawn shop. "Found him outside a few days ago," he says, standing beside the couch. "Said his name was Tadao – still call him that, by the way. Little weird to be calling him Ronin when, well –"

"Whatever," Morro grumbles. Tadao doesn't look at him; he's not his brother, after all. "So what the hell happened here?"

"Shush, kid. He has powers. Calls them illusions. Basically, he can make things appear, they just don't –" Ronin shrugs. "– stick around, I guess."

"Great! So why didn't you tell us?"

"He asked me not to, and I'm not gonna break his trust like that."

"Seriously? You could've just said –" Morro hisses air through his teeth. "– I don't know, something! Anything! 'Hey, Borg, you know the kid who ran away from you and has been missing for weeks? I found him! He's alive!'"

"This is me we're talking about!" Ronin growls. "If Tadao had thought something was up, he would've run off again, and then where would he be? You know what else his powers do?" He gestures at Tadao's bandaged side. "Make nightmares come to life! He dreamed someone stabbed him, and woke up with the wound!"

"The _fuck?_ " Morro exclaims.

"Yeah! Me too!"

Tadao whimpers. Ronin looks down at him, then back to Morro. "So that's the story," he said. "You can tell Borg he's fine, but he's not going back to him, alright? He wants to stay here."

He wants to go to the Cursed Realm. Tadao says nothing.

"Fine," Morro says. "Fine. Are you going to open your stupid shop?"

"Cool it, kid." Ronin checks his watch. "Yeah, it's about opening time. Go do your sweeping. Tadao…" His voice softens. "Will you be alright, here? Do you want to go up to my room?"

Tadao shakes his head.

"You're fine here?"

He nods.

"Okay. Yell if you need anything, alright?"

Tadao buries his face in a pillow until Morro and Ronin leave him alone.

* * *

That night, Ronin sits down to talk with him after Morro leaves. "I mean it," he says. "You don't have to go back to Borg if you don't want to. You can stay with me for as long as you want."

"Okay," Tadao says.

Ronin runs a hand through his hair. "Man, the kid's definitely gonna tell him you're here… I'll deal with that when it happens. Don't worry about it, alright?"

Tadao nods.

"Do you want to practice more lockpicking?"

Tadao shakes his head.

"Cool, cool. I'm gonna watch some TV."

Ronin gets them both dinner, and Tadao sits up and watches TV with him. He doesn't understand most of what's happening on the screen, but it's better than lying on the couch and rotting.

_Is it, though?_

When it's time to go to bed, Ronin makes him the tea that's supposed to stop his dreaming. Tadao doesn't drink it right away. "It's hot," he says when Ronin asks why he's not drinking it. "I'm waiting for it to cool."

He waits until Ronin goes upstairs, and then he pours the tea down the sink.

It's hard to get to sleep, with no one to watch over him. His heart is pounding, and he tosses and turns for a long time.

Finally, he dreams.

* * *

The docks are flat and empty of houses. They twist and turn all throughout the endless sea, and Tadao walks a little ways before he stops to wait.

He doesn't have to wait for long.

"I couldn't reach you last night," Youxia says, walking in slow circles around him. Tadao turns to keep him in his sight. "But here you are now."

"You said you could help me find my brother," says Tadao.

Youxia grins. "That's true – but you should know it comes with a price. How badly do you want to find him?"

More than anything in the world, Tadao thinks.

"Tell me how to find him," he says. "I'll – I'll do whatever you want."

Youxia laughs and laughs, and Tadao wakes up with fear gripping his heart.


	6. a visit to the garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG content warning for suicide ideation – I mean, it's in every chapter, but it's bigger in this one.
> 
> two chapters left after this one

"Sleep alright?" Ronin asks him when they're having breakfast. Tadao nods and keeps quiet. Ronin doesn't ask him any other questions, which is good, because Tadao isn't sure how he'd answer.

Morro comes again to open the shop. "Borg is glad you're alright," he says to Tadao. "He also says he's sorry for scaring you off, which is stupid, because it's not like it's his fault."

"Be nice," Ronin says.

Tadao senses Morro's anger flare up. "With all due respect, I'm being perfectly nice."

"Yeah, yeah."

While Ronin and Morro are working, Tadao lays on the couch and stares at the ceiling.

Youxia didn't say what he wanted, what the price would be to find his brother – but Tadao already knew he would have to die. That's what happens when you go to the Cursed Realm. That was what was supposed to happen to him before he first arrived in this alternate Ninjago, with the Morro that's not his brother and the Ronin that isn't him. Tadao still isn't sure how the portal was intercepted. He might not ever know.

So he'll die, and he'll be with Morro, his brother, and he'll be happy.

But when has Youxia ever wanted him to be happy?

There must be something else, something he wants. Tadao breathes, closes his eyes, though he's not nearly tired enough to sleep. He needs to ask – but what if Youxia does something worse than killing him, does something to separate him from his brother forever? It's too risky.

He needs help.

Tadao opens his eyes.

Tadao stands up and moves to the door leading to the shop. The register is right on the other side, with Ronin sitting at it – he turns in his chair to face Tadao when the door is pushed open. "Hey, kid," he says. "Feeling alright?"

"Yeah," Tadao says. He closes the door behind him. "I want to talk to Morro."

"Cool, cool." Ronin cups his hands to his mouth and shouts into the pawn shop. "Hey, kid! Other kid wants to talk to you!"

"What?" Morro yells back.

"I said –"

Morro walks over, his emotions giving him hard edges that Tadao can feel from a few feet away. "I heard you," he says. "Why?"

Ronin looks at Tadao. Tadao hesitates. "I need to ask you something," he says. "Alone."

Morro rolls his eyes. "Sure, whatever. Ronin, I'm taking my break."

"Be back in fifteen minutes."

"Whatever."

* * *

Tadao sits at the table, unable to look Morro in the eyes. Morro sits across from him. "What is it?" he asks.

"You don't like me, right?" Tadao says.

"Not really," Morro says. "You're just some brat. Probably would've been better if you hadn't fallen out of that portal. What about it?"

Tadao takes a deep breath, looking down. "My… my stepbrother said he could help me find my real brother," he says. "But he hates me, and I don't know if he's telling the truth. He – he might do something worse to me. I – I need help."

"O… kay," Morro says slowly. "There's a lot to unpack there. Who the hell's your stepbrother?"

"Youxia." Tadao shudders. "He… he appears in my dreams. There's some sort of link between us, I think."

"Wait. Is this the guy who stabbed you?"

Tadao nods. "I can't stay here," he says quietly. "I want to be with my brother. Youxia – he's the only one who – who wants to help. Please don't tell Ronin."

Morro groans. "Goddammit, you're still on the goddamn Cursed Realm bullshit. Listen, you don't actually want to go there, alright? You don't know what it's like. You'll be locked up for eternity, maybe tortured… only reason I didn't have to deal with that was because I'm an Elemental Master."

"I'm an Elemental Master," Tadao says.

Morro is quiet for a few moments. "Then she'll want to use you," he says.

"She?"

"Did you plan to go to the Cursed Realm without even knowing – *her.* The Preeminent." Morro clenches his fists. "If you're an Elemental Master, she'll use you, she'll manipulate you, and once she has you, she'll never let you go. Do you really think your brother wants you there?"

Tadao snaps his head up to meet Morro's eyes.

"Don't say that," he whispers.

"Why the hell not?"

"You don't –" Tadao is shaking, his eyes welling up with tears. "– you don't get to say that. Not about him."

"Yeah I do," Morro says. "We're practically the same person."

"You're not!" Tadao raises his voice. "You're nothing alike!"

"We have the same name, presumably the same powers, and you thought I was him when you first –"

Tadao slams his hands on the table. "My brother loves me!"

"What's going on out here?"

Morro and Tadao turn to Ronin, who frowns at them. "There's no customers right now," he says. "What's all this shouting?"

"Mini-you is still trying to get to the Cursed Realm," Morro says.

Hot anger flares up. "I told you not to tell him!" Tadao screams, and the emotion – his own emotion – blazes around him.

Morro and Ronin jerk back in alarm. Tadao glares at them, angry tears falling down his cheeks. But the anger has no goal, no outlet – for a few, short moments, he's consumed in its flame, and then it dies down, leaving Tadao sobbing at the table.

"Go away," he says through tears when Ronin puts a hand on his shoulder. "Leave me alone."

"Not sure I can do that, kid." Ronin sighs. "Listen, you gotta understand – Morro was in the Cursed Realm for fifty years, and leaving it didn't exactly go well."

"You don't have to tell him this," Morro mutters.

"Yeah, well, you told me something he didn't want me knowing, so I might as well do the same for you."

Tadao turns his head away.

"Besides, that's not the only reason you're upset, is it?"

At first, Tadao thinks Ronin's talking to him, but Morro's the one who responds. "Me?" he says. "I'm not – I'm not upset."

"Sure," says Ronin. "Why don't you tell this kid the full story?"

"No," says Morro.

"Do it or I will."

Tadao can feel Morro's anger flaring up, but that's not the only emotion he feels. Fear, despair, a sense of hopelessness…

"I'm going back there," Morro spits out. "I was resurrected, sure, but that didn't change my curse. I'm going back to the Cursed Realm when I die. And I know damn well I won't be welcomed with open arms! I'm a traitor, because I left that hell to _live,_  and when I'm dead again, I'll be tortured for eternity!" He takes a shuddering breath. "And Ronin, you're not my fucking therapist, so don't try to pretend you can get me to open up or – or whatever!"

Ronin shrugs. "Worked, didn't it?"

"Fuck you!" Morro shouts, and he storms out the back door.

Tadao sits there with Ronin's hand on his shoulder, his heart pounding. He's still crying, tears falling silently down his face. Ronin looks back at the pawn shop.

"Think I'm gonna close early today," he says. "Come with me."

Tadao follows Ronin into the pawn shop, watches as Ronin changes the sign on the door and locks it. He keeps glancing back at Tadao, as if he's afraid he'll run off if Ronin takes his eyes off him for too long. He's not wrong, Tadao thinks, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He wants to leave, go back to living on the street and sitting in the library and searching for ways to get to the Cursed Realm without people *caring* –

He muffles a sob. Ronin looks back at him. "Hey, kid," he says. "You're gonna be alright."

Tadao says nothing.

"Kid… can we talk?"

"No," Tadao says.

"Alright, then. Let's watch some TV."

* * *

Morro returns late in the evening, when Tadao and Ronin are having dinner. "What's up, kid?" Ronin asks. Tadao tries to ignore him.

"Did Tadao tell you anything about his stepbrother?" Morro says.

"Go away," Tadao mumbles.

Ronin shakes his head. "Nope. I take it you don't mean –"

"Yeah, no, not my alternate self. Some guy named Youxia."

Tadao shudders.

Ronin frowns. "That was the guy you dreamed –"

"It wasn't a dream," Morro says. "I mean, sure, it happened in his mind while he was asleep, but Tadao told me there was some sort of link between them, and that Youxia said he could help him get to the Cursed Realm."

"Why are you doing this?" Tadao says. "You said you didn't like me. I thought…"

"You're right," Morro says. "I don't like you. But I like Ronin, and Ronin likes you, and Borg still feels responsible for bringing you here in the first place, and if you die, they'll both be upset. So you don't get to off yourself, no matter how much you want to."

Tadao looks down at his food. He doesn't have an appetite anymore; he pushes it away.

"Anyway," Morro says, "you said Youxia appears in your dreams. How about you let me talk to him?"

"How?" Tadao says.

"Yeah," Ronin says. "How're you gonna do that?"

Morro taps his foot and looks away. "Ever since I got resurrected, I've been able to leave my body as a ghost," he says. "I mean, I don't have all the same powers – I can't touch anything, and no one can hear or see me, but I can, y'know, enter people's bodies."

"You mean possess people," Ronin says. There's a dangerous emotion in his aura, Tadao notices. Fear and anger, together.

"It's not like how I possessed people before!" Morro says quickly. "It's not as physically demanding on the person being possessed, and I don't have to actually control their body. I thought if I just – hung around in Tadao's head when he went to sleep, I could be in his dreams when he encounters Youxia."

He sighs and turns to Ronin. "I know you don't like it," he says. "I didn't think you would. But I promise, I won't hurt him. It's not going to be like when I –"

Ronin cuts him off. "Yeah, yeah," he says. "Look, if Tadao agrees to it, then it's fine with me. What do you say, kid?"

Tadao blinks. Ronin has his shields up, preventing Tadao from sensing his emotions, but Tadao can tell he's uneasy. Morro is looking at him expectantly; Tadao hesitates before speaking up.

"What will you say to him?" he asks.

"Thought I'd figure that out once I get there," Morro says. "Assuming it actually works. It might not."

Tadao looks away.

"I just want to be with my brother," he says quietly. "I don't want to be here. If you're not going to help me find him, then I – I don't want you doing anything."

Ronin takes a deep breath. Tadao can feel the sadness coming off him in waves. "Kid," he starts, but Morro interrupts before he can continue.

"That's fine," he says, "because I can help you find him without you having to die."

Tadao snaps his head back to stare at him. "But –"

Morro shrugs. "I know some people. A necromancer. She probably feels like she owes me something. It's not like we can go over to the Temple of Resurrection to bring your brother back – their security's gone way up since I was resurrected – but if there's still a link between you and where you came from, then maybe we can summon his ghost from your world's Cursed Realm."

"That's a big maybe," says Ronin.

"Could be worth a shot – but I'd have to see what the dreams are like, first. What do you think, Tadao?"

After a moment's hesitation, Tadao nods. "Please," he says. "I – I want to see him, I need to see him, I – I –"

Ronin frowns. "You know it's not guaranteed, right?" he says. "You might not find him. Something might go wrong."

"I have to try," Tadao says. "If it doesn't work, I'll – I'll let Youxia do what he wants."

"Kid…" Ronin shakes his head. "Alright. Guess you're skipping the tea tonight, huh?"

"What tea?" Morro asks.

"Mystake got it for us. Supposed to stop him from dreaming." Ronin glances at the clock. "Does your dad know you're here?" he says to Morro.

"Nah, he gets all weird when I stay late at your place. Skylor will cover for me."

"Alright." Ronin stands up and ruffles Tadao's hair. "Be safe, alright, kid? I'll be here when you wake up."

"I'm not tired right now," Tadao says. "I can try…"

"Nah," says Morro. "Finish your dinner. I'm gonna watch TV."

"You have a TV at your place, don't you?"

Morro ignores him, grabs the remote, and drapes himself over the couch. Tadao stares at him until Ronin clears his throat.

"You done eating, kid?" he says.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Can we talk?"

Tadao slides off his chair and follows Ronin into the pawn shop. Ronin clicks on one of the lamps for sale and sits down on a chair, also for sale. It creaks under his weight. Tadao sits on the floor.

"Tadao, you're a good kid," Ronin says. "I'm not saying that because you're me from another dimension, because I was an awful kid – no, you're a real good kid, I can tell."

How? They've known each other for barely a week. Tadao says nothing.

"…loss is a tough thing to deal with," Ronin says after a long pause. "And, I mean, there's no wrong way to grieve… but sometimes, there's nothing you can do, you know?"

Tadao says nothing.

"Kid, I'm not gonna tell you to stop caring. I know you'll never stop caring about your brother, and it'd be wrong of me to tell you to. It's just… you need to know when to stop, eventually. Need to know when the grieving is over."

"No," says Tadao. He can feel tears pricking at his eyes. "He's not – he's not gone. I can still find him."

"Kid…"

"And if – if he was gone –" Tadao shudders. "– I wouldn't – I wouldn't ever stop grieving, or caring, or anything, because – because he'd be gone forever, and nothing – nothing would be ever be okay again."

"Nothing is ever okay, kid," Ronin says softly. "It's just the truth of this world. There are all these tragedies, and people die who aren't supposed to, and all the rest of us can do is keep on living. I don't know what your brother would say, but I want you to keep living, Tadao."

Tadao sniffs and wipes at his nose. Tears are falling freely, now. "No one else wants me to," he says. "Youxia wants to kill me. Wu told me I wasn't supposed to exist, and – and I think he was right. Maybe – maybe if things were different –"

"No, no, kid –" Ronin stands up and crouches next to Tadao on the floor. "None of us asked to be born, alright? The world just up and decided to make a bunch of living things and set them loose. None of us chose this – and the world owes us big time just for putting us here. We deserve to be happy, because what's the point of existing, otherwise?"

He puts a hand on Tadao's shoulder. Tadao grabs it and hugs it to his chest.

"And don't get me wrong," Ronin continues, "I'm not saying that you don't deserve to exist if you're not happy. No, we deserve to exist, and if we're not happy, we need to stand up and demand happiness from the world. You get me, kid?"

Tadao rocks back and forth on the floor, clutching Ronin's hand with tears falling down his face. "I want him back," he chokes out. "I want Morro back."

"You can try your thing with this world's Morro. I'm not gonna stop you – and if it works, your brother's just as welcome to stay here as you are… but if it doesn't work, I want you to keep living. Keep his memory alive."

He pulls Tadao into a hug. Tadao presses his face into Ronin's chest and breaks down in sobs.


	7. the pomegranate seeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: suicide ideation, discussion of death, etc. i cried while writing this.

Tadao tires himself out from crying. When they return to the back room, Ronin has to wake up Morro, who fell asleep on the couch. "Wake up, kid," he says. "Tadao's ready."

"Cool," says Morro. "Give me, like, two seconds."

It takes him much longer to stand up, stretch, and rummage through Ronin's refrigerator. "You must be making him soft," Morro says to Tadao, stuffing bread in his mouth. "He never let me do this before."

"You won't get to do it ever again, either," Ronin says. "C'mon."

Tadao lies down on the couch. He can feel a damp spot on the pillow where Morro drooled in his sleep. He flips the pillow over.

Next to him, Morro lies down on the floor. "I don't know how this is going to work," he says to Ronin. "For all I know, when he falls asleep, our minds could merge and we'll be stuck as one person forever."

"That's not gonna happen," Ronin says.

"I mean, probably not, but we don't know that."

"Are you gonna do it or not?"

"Yeah, alright."

Morro closes his eyes. While Tadao watches, his body goes limp, the life leaving it – but he's still alive, Tadao thinks. He can see Morro's chest rising and falling as he breathes.

The next thing he knows, there's a voice in his head that's not his own.

 _There's a lot of space in here,_ Morro says. _You must not be very smart._

"Hey," Tadao says.

Ronin stands up. "Is everything alright?"

Tadao shakes his head, then quickly says, "Yeah," before Ronin can worry. "Um. It worked. I mean, he's… in my head."

 _It was just a joke, don't be offended._ Morro sends a wave of amusement at Tadao. _Now go to sleep. Let's see if this works._

"I'm going to sleep now," Tadao tells Ronin. "Um…"

He trails off. What else is there to say? Ronin glances down at Morro's unconscious body, then moves to Tadao's side and ruffles his hair.

"Be safe, kid," he says. "I'll be right here once you wake up."

Tadao manages a smile.

"Okay," he says.

* * *

Eventually, he falls asleep.

* * *

Tadao opens his eyes.

He's back in Stiix, standing between two buildings. The city is decorated with green lanterns, and distant music is piping in from an unknown source. Tadao looks around, and realizes Morro is next to him, staring at the lanterns with distaste.

"Ugh," he says. "Should've known – whatever. It's fine. I can deal with this."

"What?" Tadao says.

Morro shrugs. "I've got some history in Stiix, that's all. Come on, let's find Youxia."

He starts walking. Tadao runs to catch up.

Other than the music and their own footsteps on the docks, the city is quiet. Tadao can't hear the waves lapping at the poles. When he peers of the edge of the dock, he sees no water, just an unrelenting pit of darkness, the poles stretching endlessly beneath them.

Morro pulls him back. "Careful," he says. "Probably wouldn't be good if you fell in there."

Tadao nods. "I don't see him," he whispers.

"Yeah," Morro says. "I don't see anyone here. He doesn't show up in every dream, does he?"

Tadao shakes his head.

"Figures." Morro groans. "This place creeps me out. Man, how long are you going to be asleep?"

"What are you doing here?"

Tadao freezes. Youxia is right in front of them, appearing out of a dark alley. He has a knife again. Tadao's hand creeps to his bandaged wound.

"You _said,_ " Youxia growls, "that you would do whatever I wanted. And now you've brought this replacement brother with you."

"No," Tadao whispers. "He's not – he could never be –"

Morro snorts. "Aren't you like, twelve?"

Youxia blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Man, when Tadao told me about his evil stepbrother, I didn't think you'd be the _little_ brother. You're twelve, right? Eleven?"

"I'm fifteen!" Youxia snaps.

"That's horrifying," Morro says, "but also really funny. You're, like, a demon, and also an actual, literal child. You're a fucking baby. Oh shit, should I even swear around you?"

"It's not funny," Tadao says.

Youxia grits his teeth. "Well, Ronin, if you want to see your brother ever again, you'll _do as I say._ No interference. Do you understand?"

Morro speaks before Tadao can. "What do you want from him, anyway?" he says. "Do you just want to kill him? What do you get out of this?"

"That's none of your business."

"Yeah, yeah. Not like I'm going anywhere."

Youxia being this angry only makes Tadao more afraid of him. He takes a step back and looks up at Morro, who doesn't seem scared at all. Annoyed, if anything. Tadao isn't comforted.

"Fine." Youxia jabs a finger at Tadao. "I want his powers. I should've been the one to get them in the first place! Give me your powers, brother, and I'll send you to the Cursed Realm here and now."

Tadao blinked.

That was it?

When Youxia said he would help for a price, Tadao's mind had wandered to the worst places. Torture. Servitude. Anything would've been worth it, but how much would he have had to suffer?

But all Youxia wanted was his powers. Tadao can't help but smile. He'll give up his powers that caused him so much pain, and then he'll see his brother again.

"You can have them," he says.

Morro looks at him in alarm. "Excuse me?"

Tadao ignores the Morro that's not his brother and steps forward, closer to Youxia. "You can have my powers," he says. "I don't – I never wanted them. If that's all you're asking for, I'll give it to you."

Morro grabs his arm. "He's also asking you to die!" he snaps. "Is that really what you want?"

"I always knew I would have to!" Tadao tries to pull away, but Morro has a tight grip on him. "That's what I was trying to do! I need to be dead and cursed and I need to see my brother again!"

"How do you know he can even get you to the Cursed Realm?!"

Youxia speaks up. "I said I could send him to the Cursed Realm and I meant it," he says. "I can send _you_ to the Cursed Realm, too, if you keep interfering."

Morro flinches. "You wouldn't –"

"I don't know you," Youxia says. "I don't care about you, except that you're trying to interfere. I can send you to the Cursed Realm of my world, and even if you escape, you'll never see your world again."

Morro says nothing.

Tadao swallows. "Don't – don't stop me," he whispers. "Please."

"God," Morro says. "God. You're an awful kid, did you know?"

Tadao nods.

Morro lets go of his arm.

Youxia grins when Tadao walks to him. "So you're really serious!" he says. "Good. Come with me."

He grabs Tadao's arm. Tadao forces himself not to flinch.

He glances back behind him as Youxia leads him away. Morro stares at him, then takes a step forward. "Wait," he says, "wait! This isn't right, I can't – I can't let you –"

The dream shifts.

Tadao can't see him anymore.

There's only Youxia and their footsteps on the endless docks of Stiix.

* * *

They walk for a long time.

Youxia doesn't let go of his arm. Tadao doesn't know why; it's not like he's going to run anywhere. Where are they even going? This is a dream. They're still in Tadao's head. What's the point of walking so far?

Finally, Youxia stops. Tadao blinks. Their surroundings don't look any different.

"This should be far enough," Youxia says. "Your friend shouldn't find us here."

"He's not my friend," Tadao says.

"Whatever." Youxia yanks down hard on his arm, sending Tadao falling to his knees. "Stay there."

Tadao stays there.

"Good." Youxia takes a few steps back. "Now hold still. This spell will take your powers, but it won't work if you move too much." His expression darkens. "And if you sabotage it, I'll kill you and lock you up where you won't see your brother or anyone else ever again."

Tadao swallows hard.

"What if you're lying?" he says.

"Excuse me?"

"How do I know you'll take me to my brother?" Tadao takes a deep breath. "If you're lying –"

"You can't do anything if I am lying," Youxia says. "Don't you understand? It's over. There's no one to save you. You're all alone – and you said you'd do whatever I wanted."

Tadao looks down at the dock.

"But I'll take you to your brother. I'll prove it."

He snaps his head back up, staring at Youxia's grin with wide eyes.

"I'll open a portal to the Cursed Realm right now," Youxia says. "After I take your power, I'll send you there. Your not-friend should be fine. I don't know how he's in your head, but he probably won't die with you."

He's going to see his brother again.

"Please," Tadao whispers. "I – I need to see him, I –"

Youxia snaps his fingers.

"I prepared the spell already," he explains, as the dream realm twists and buckles. Tadao falls on his side and lies there as the docks roll beneath him. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you agreed to my terms. Everyone gets what they want! I get your powers, and you get to die, just like you wanted, and you'll see your brother again."

The dream settles. The dark void beneath the docks is glowing green.

Tadao picks himself up and crawls to the edge. He opens his mouth and says nothing. Whispers fill the air, surrounding him –

_who's there_

_someone calling_

_who's there_

_who's there_

Youxia grabs a fistful of Tadao's hair and yanks him back. "You're not leaving yet!" he snaps. "We still have business. Let me have your powers, and then you'll see him."

_no one important_

_a useless child_

_no one important_

_he'll be with us soon_

Tadao sobs and pulls out of Youxia's grip. "Morro," he cries, reaching for the edge of the dock. "Morro, brother –"

_no one important_

_no one important_

_no one important_

_no one important_

"Shut up!" Youxia grabs his arm and pulls hard. "Stay still! I'll close the portal if you keep acting like this!"

"You're an anomaly," Wu says, throwing him to the ground. "You're not supposed to exist. I'm supposed to keep the world safe from evil creatures – you and Garmadon both."

"He says I'm going to be the Green Ninja," Morro says, lying on the floor next to him. "He says I'm going to keep the world safe. I – I want to keep you safe, Ronin. I think if I can do that, then maybe I can do all the other things I'm supposed to do."

"Stop it!" Youxia kicks his side, where he was stabbed. "Stop it! I should've had these powers! What did you do to deserve them?!"

"We deserve to be happy," Ronin says, this alternate version of himself. "We deserve good things. And if we don't get them – then we need to stand up and demand happiness from the world. You're a good kid, Tadao."

"Stop it! _Stop it!_ This is what you want, isn't it?!"

Morro whispers, "Eat shit, Wu," while they're being scolded during a lesson, and he giggles and gets smacked for it. He remembers carving those words into the monastery, remembers sitting on the roof and pointing out the stars, remembers Morro, remembers his brother –

"I want you to keep living. Keep his memory alive."

Tadao screams –

"I want my brother back!"

– and the world dissolves around him.

* * *

Tadao stands up.

He's standing in a black void. It's not dark, no – he can see his hand clearly when he waves it in front of his face, like there's a light coming from an unknown source. He's not casting a shadow.

"Hello?" he calls out.

Whispers again, the voices of the Cursed Realm. Tadao flinches back – but they're still just whispers. Distant. He's not there. He's not dead, just dreaming.

He takes a step forward.

"Morro?"

A faint voice answers, barely louder than the whispers.

"…Ronin…?"

His brother appears in front of him.

He's not an illusion – no, this Morro has a face, his expression confused, but Tadao can feel the happiness spilling out of him as he recognizes the boy in front of him, can see the smile growing on his face. Tears blur his vision, and he takes another shaky step. Morro is wearing the same clothes he had when he left, his shawl worn and tattered, his body a sickly green, but he's there, he's real –

Tadao falls into Morro's arms and sobs.

"Ronin," Morro says, hugging him tight. "Ronin – where are we? How did we get here? This isn't the Cursed Realm –"

"I'm dreaming," Tadao chokes out. "I mean – it's real, but I'm dreaming. I'm asleep, I – I – I missed you so much, I –"

He feels Morro shudder. "I'm so sorry," he says. "I – I promised I'd come back, but – I got stuck in the cave, and I couldn't – I'm so sorry, Ronin! I couldn't keep my promise, I let you down, I'm a failure –"

"No!" Tadao cries, and he lifts his head up to look at Morro's face. "You're – you're not a failure!"

Morro holds him tighter and squeezes his eyes shut. "I said I would keep you safe and then I left and I died and you're still stuck with Sensei –"

"I'm not, Morro!" Tadao attempts a smile. "I got away from him. I'm – I'm where he can't ever find me. Not even if he tries. I'm safe, Morro, I promise."

Morro blinks. "But – where are you, Ronin?"

Part of him thinks – how long do they have? Surely this can't last forever. Even so, Tadao tells Morro everything – opening the portal to the Cursed Realm and falling out in an alternate dimension, with another Morro and another Ronin, and a different Sensei Wu's students who seemed happy, somehow, and Cyrus Borg who tried so hard to take care of him –

"I'm staying with Ronin," he says. "Um, he calls me Tadao, 'cause that's what I said my name was. He's letting me stay, and he's teaching me lockpicking, and –" He grabs Morro's hand. "– he said you could stay, too! Um, even if you're a ghost, you can come back with me, and we can be together, and… and…"

He trails off. Morro shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, Ronin," he says. "I can't go back with you."

"But –" He can feel more tears coming. Tadao sniffs and clutches Morro's hand in both his own. "– you promised you'd come back, you – you can't leave, Morro, I –"

"I'm sorry," Morro repeats. "I – I know I promised, but… there are some things I need to do. In the Cursed Realm, I –" He shakes his head. "– I'm _important._ I can _do things._ I can get revenge on Sensei Wu for how he treated us. And if you're in a different dimension, then – you're safe, now, and… there's nothing in that world worth saving."

He smiles. Tadao sobs. He knows water hurts ghosts, he's careful to keep his falling tears away from Morro – his brother pulls him close, pressing his damp face to his chest, holding him there even though Tadao can hear the hiss of his tears burning his ghost form.

"It's okay, Ronin," Morro whispers. "It's going to be okay. You can go on without me. You can live in a world that's worth saving. I'll destroy the one that hurt us. I don't know – I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but if we don't –"

"Stay with me," Tadao says through sobs. "Please, Morro."

"– if we don't, just remember that I love you, and I'll never forget you, and you were the last thing I thought of when I was dying, and I want you to live, and I want you to be happy. Okay, Ronin?"

Tadao wails, wordlessly. Morro hugs him almost tight enough to hurt, then his grip loosens.

"I have to go," Morro says.

"Morro, please –"

"I'm sorry, Ronin. I love you."

He lets go. Tadao shakes his head. "Morro, I don't want you to go –"

"Ronin –" Morro's voice shakes. "I have to go, Ronin. I can't stay here. Ronin, please – you still love me, right?"

"Of course!" Tadao cries. "I love you, Morro! You're my brother and –" He wipes furiously at his eyes. "– I love you, and I'll never forget you, and you'll be the last thing I think about when I die, and –" He can feel Morro's love, an emotion he hasn't felt in a long time, overpowering everything else until it's hard to even see "– and if you want me to stay alive, I will, and I won't die for a long time, and I'll find a way to be happy, and I'll never forget you, and I'll never stop thinking about you, and – and – and –"

"Thank you," Morro says. "I love you too, Ronin. Goodbye."

And he's gone.

* * *

Tadao wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one chapter remains.


	8. harvest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter than the others; not much left to wrap up.
> 
> thank you for reading. please leave a comment if you enjoyed this very indulgent fic.

Tadao wakes up slowly. He blinks, squints up at the ceiling, and shifts on the couch.

"He's awake!"

That's Morro's voice – but not his Morro, Tadao remembers. Not his brother. Tears well up in his eyes, and he barely registers Ronin looking down at him with worry in his eyes before he starts to sob.

"Aw, kid…" Ronin crouches down beside the bed and hugs him. Tadao buries his face in his shoulder. "What happened? Morro said – well, he said some bad shit happened."

"I saw him," Tadao chokes out. "I saw my brother. Not – not Youxia, my real brother."

"So it worked?"

"Hell no it didn't!" Morro exclaims. "Youxia grabbed Tadao, threatened to send me to the Cursed Realm if I interfered, and left! Then – oh God, I felt the portal open, and I could hear _her_  –"

"Calm down, kid, you're hyperventilating."

"He didn't want to come with me," Tadao says. "Morro, my brother, he – I said he could come with me and he didn't want to and he said he loved me but he _left_  and – and –"

He can barely speak through his tears, and finally, he stops trying. Ronin holds him as he sobs for what feels like hours, crying and wailing until he can't anymore, as if the well of his grief has a bottom and it's run dry.

When he looks up, this world's Morro is gone.

"He's pretty upset," Ronin says, answering Tadao's unspoken question. "He woke up before you did, which freaked me out, 'cause I thought you were gonna wake up together… I'm sure he'll be fine."

Tadao nods.

"Kid, can you tell me what happened there?"

Tadao can feel his worry, as much as Ronin's trying to shield it. "Yeah," Tadao says. "It worked, at first – Morro was in my dream, like he was supposed to be…"

He glosses over some details. He doesn't say that he was going to go along with Youxia, just that Youxia grabbed him and threatened Morro. "He opened a portal to the Cursed Realm," he says, "and then… it was strange. I heard a lot of things, and Youxia kept yelling at me to – to stop doing _something,_  I don't know what." He can feel tears threaten again. "And then – it all went away, and… and I saw my brother."

"And you talked to him," Ronin says.

Tadao nods again. "He – he said he wasn't going to come with me," he says quietly. "He said – he said he had things to do. That he was going to get revenge, and he wouldn't – he wouldn't come with me, he – he –"

He wipes his eyes and ends up smearing tears all over his face. "It's okay, kid," Ronin says. "I mean – it's not okay, I know that much, but… you're going to be okay, all right?"

Tadao says nothing. Ronin gives him a tissue to wipe his face with.

"You've had a tough night," he says. "How about you take that tea and get some rest? You don't need to sleep if you're not tired, just…"

"Okay," Tadao says.

They make the tea. Ronin sends a few texts while the water's boiling. Tadao wonders if Youxia will still appear in his dreams, if he'll still try to take his powers.

Maybe not.

* * *

Morro returns the next morning. "Glad you're alright," he says to Tadao, but otherwise doesn't speak much to him or Ronin. Tadao stays out of his way while he works in the pawn shop, and Morro makes no move to approach him.

Tadao stops him before he leaves for the day. "Thank you," he says.

Morro blinks. "For what?"

"You tried to help me." Tadao takes a deep breath. "And… maybe because of you, I was able to see my brother again. Maybe it was because you were there. I don't know, but… I'm glad you were there."

Morro makes a face. "I'm not," he says. "Your demon stepbrother threatened to send me to the Cursed Realm in another dimension. I could've been stuck where I wouldn't ever see any of my friends or family again. But you're welcome, I guess."

He moves to step around Tadao. Tadao blocks his way.

"Why did you make that portal?" he says.

"My dad –" Morro catches himself. "Borg and I are trying to lift the curse on my soul," he says. "It wasn't supposed to be a portal, just a window, and we maybe could've used it to figure out… whatever. It got out of hand. We're lucky no one worse than you came out."

Tadao nods. "Thank you," he says. "I'm… I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad I'm alive."

Morro's eyes widen, and Tadao feels a strange emotion from him – and the next moment, it's gone.

Morro pushes past him. Tadao watches him go.

* * *

Mystake confirms that whatever link was connecting Youxia to him, it's broken now. "He might have died," she suggests. "Only blood magic can connect people across realms like that, and if he truly was related to you, then he would still be able to perform the spell if he was alive – but dead? He would have no blood to perform the spell with."

Tadao doesn't know how to feel about that.

"Weird question, kid," Ronin says while they're walking back to the pawn shop. "When's your birthday?"

"I don't know," Tadao says.

"Hm. We'll figure one out."

They walk for a few more blocks before Ronin realizes. "You're an alternate version of _me._  We have the same birthday. I'm an idiot."

Tadao giggles. Ronin looks down at him in surprise. Tadao cuts himself off and slaps a hand over his mouth, expecting anger, but –

"Y'know what, kid?" Ronin says. "I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh."

* * *

Tadao meets up with Morro and Cyrus Borg for lunch. "Please don't run away from this one," Borg says with a chuckle, though Tadao can feel the fear on him. "You go by Tadao now, correct? It's good to see you're doing well!"

Tadao nods. "Ronin says he's gonna get a real bed for me," he says. "Um, I don't know where he's going to put it, but…"

"Do you have an identity, yet?"

"What?"

Borg frowns at Tadao's confused expression. "You remember what happened when I tried to take you to the doctor, correct? Since you weren't born in this dimension, you don't have any paperwork for your legal identity…"

"Oh," Morro says. "Don't worry about that. Ronin forged 'em."

"Of course he did." Borg sighs, then reaches across the table to hand Tadao an envelope. "This is for you," he says. "You don't have a bank account, but I'm certain Ronin knows what to do with checks. Tell him if he uses it for any of his… questionably legal activities, well, I can't say I'll do anything legal, either."

"Just say you'll murder him, Dad," Morro says. "That's way less confusing than whatever you just said."

He hands the envelope to Ronin when he's picked up. Ronin opens it and blanches. "Holy shit!"

"What is it?" Tadao asks.

"It's a check for ten thousand dollars is what it is!" Ronin takes a few deep breaths, then ruffles Tadao's hair. "We can do all sorts of stuff with this! What d'ya say about going to the amusement park this summer?"

* * *

Ronin helps him dig the grave.

They work on the outskirts of Ninjago City, in the forest, where Tadao thinks Morro would've liked. There's no body – whatever body there was is in another dimension. They dig a hole big enough for one anyway, because anything lesser seems wrong. Tadao and Ronin don't have a ceremony; after the hole is dug, Tadao sits cross-legged on the ground and calls upon his powers, hardening the wooden knife into metal and carving the words into the gravestone.

MORRO KICHIRO  
BELOVED BROTHER

He sets the stone at the head of the hole and looks down into it – strangely, he feels no tears. He takes off the string the wooden knife is tied to, holds the necklace away from him and hesitates, just for a moment, before he drops the knife into the hole

Ronin does most of the work to fill in the grave. Tadao has trouble holding the heavy shovel for too long. Ronin told him once that he might be malnourished, from Wu denying him food. Tadao doesn't know, but he's definitely eating better now.

When the hole is filled, Tadao crouches down and presses his hand into the dirt, as if Morro really is buried there.

"I promise," he whispers. "I'll remember you forever, Morro, and when I die, you'll be the last thing I think about – but I'll live. I'll be happy, just like you wanted. I love you."

Tadao stands up and turns to Ronin.

"I'm ready to go home," he says.

**THE END**


End file.
